خواندن

Seven years ago, Mackenzie Bearup hurt her knee.

She was just ten years old. A week later, the pain was still there. The pain didn’t stop. Then she found out about a disease called RSD. This disease tells the brain her knee is still injured, even though it isn’t.

There is no cure for the pain. Her knee feels terrible all the time.

Sometimes, Mackenzie felt so awful that she stayed in bed for months. It was very difficult to walk. Her doctors tried everything: medicine, exercise, and other treatments. Nothing worked . . . except books.

Mackenzie read lots of books. The books helped her stop thinking about the pain. And she decided to help other children forget their pain, too.

She found out about a treatment center for children nearby. The center had a new library, but no books. She asked all her friends and her parents’ friends to give books. Then she put ads in newspapers and made a website.

Mackenzie’s goal was to give 300 books to the library. But she soon had 3,000 books, and more were on the way! Today, that number is more than 40,000. She started an organization. Sheltering books now helps children in many states in the U.S.

Mackenzie’s knee still hurts all the time. But she feels better because she’s helping other kids with their pain.